Surharbaan
Surharbaan is a Buryat sports folk festival. The old name is (Эрын гурбан наадан - Buryat) (Three men's games)
It is one of the most common and popular holidays celebrated by all Mongolian-speaking peoples in Buryatia , Mongolia and Yakutia . The festival takes place on the first Sunday in July.
«Surharbaan» is a Buryat word and means «archery into the target». These archery targets were made from a leather belt. In Buryat, the target is called "Sur". "Sur" is a target made from a stake that is wrapped in a leather belt and stuck into the ground. The word "harban" means "competition" in Buryat.
Legend
The Mongolian peoples have a game called "Tarbagans and Wolves" which is played in early summer. There is also a legend that connects the Surharbaan with Tarbagan. According to an old legend, Tarbagan was a very accurate marksman. One day three suns appeared in the sky, it got unbearably hot, everything burned out. Sagittarius decided to help the people and use the arrows to shoot unnecessary suns. He shot and missed. He chopped off his thumbs out of shame, began to live underground, and lost his human form. Surharban, the archery competitions, is associated with this legend. During this festival, the Buryats ask the earth to show mercy and not send three suns.
history
Surharbaan is a holiday of the Buryats, originally its purpose was to worship the spirits of the earth, but later it became a kind of military show where the best warriors were selected. A large number of people gathered for the celebration, each sex provided the best wrestlers (Bator), accurate marksmen (Mergen), the most experienced riders and the fastest stallions. Archery was the main form of the Buryat martial art, so at the festival in this competition everyone tried to show the best result. The most spectacular were the wrestling matches. And the third type of competition was horse racing. There were a number of rules for choosing horses. The prices have always been very important - hundreds and sometimes thousands of head of cattle. Men of all ages and social status could come to the festival, unmarried women and the children were allowed to attend. The venue, conditions and prices were discussed in advance. The women wore the best clothes and jewelry for the festival. The men chose their best harness, took with them ornate bows, smoking pipes, and knives. At the festival the old people sat in the first rows, the young people usually stood, the children were assigned individual places where they could play and watch competitions at the same time. It was compulsory to perform the Yochor dance (Ёхор - Buryat), which symbolized the unity of the Buryats. The dance has an ancient origin. For example, there are more than a dozen of its variants in Buryatia. The ritual dance begins in the evening and lasts all night until sunrise. The dancers move in a circle in the course of the sun and sing. For archery competitions one chooses a ground level place where the Sur are, the traditional targets of the Buryats. Shooting is carried out from a distance of 20 and 30 arcs (a Buryat bow corresponds to 160 cm). The wrestling competitions (bator) are held immediately after the archery. Among the Khorinsk Buryats, one of the tribes of the people, whoever touched the ground with the knee or hand lost. Another tribe of the Aginskys Buryats, you had to lay your opponent on your shoulder blades to win the competition. In modern times, the three-point rule is used, there are no weight classes. The winner traditionally dances an eagle dance and is rewarded with a live sheep, which he must absolutely carry away on his hands. At the end of the competition, the best wrestler calls everyone who wants to fight with him to a duel. The horse race is usually carried out over a distance of 4 kilometers. The riders prepare for the competition weeks before the start of the holiday. The riders are usually young people. When competing, you rush the horse with two whips without holding the bridle. On the home stretch, the horses are caught by special people. After the race, praise will be given to the winning horse.
literature
- Г. Ц. Цыбиков "Избранные труды". Наука, 1991 ISBN 5020296260
- Р. А. Шерхунаев «Певцов благородное племя». Восточно-Сибирское книжное издательство 1977
- Л. В. Былеева, В. М. Григорьев "Игры народов СССР", Изд-во Физическая культура и спорт. 1985.
- Д. Д. Лубсанов, "Очерки истории культуры Бурятии". Бурятское книжное издательство. 1972
- Семенов В. Г., Киселев В. Я., Калмыков С. В. «Физическая культура и спорт в Восточном Забайкалье (1900–41 гг.): Учебное пособие." - Улан-Удэ, 2001.